Lean
by CSIvHP11
Summary: "Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long, 'til I'm going to need somebody to lean on." Bill Withers
1. He Is Sending Me Away

**Okay, I'm starting a new story, and the good news, this one is already written up, I just need to type up the last few chaps, so posts should be often. Basic summery- as a child, Ziva David is sent to America for protection, she lives in foster care for a year, with none other than Sara Sidle, bonds form, and stuff happens, yeah, thats it. I know their ages are actually farther apart, but, hey, it wont hurt anyone.**

**And I apolagize now for any incorrect Hebrew words, I am mainly depending on online sites and, well, they might not be that acurat, so, if anyone knows Hebrew, can I get some help, please:)**

**Now, now for the main attraction (which I do not own) -- **

Ziva stood with her back against the cool wall, silent, as she listened to the people in the other room. Her interest was piqued, as her near future may depend on what happened.

"But why a whole year?" the soft voice of her mother asked.

"She has to learn" her father's voice replied.

"She will be on the other side of the globe" her mother argued.

"The distance will be good for her, as well as for us" her father explained.

"Could she at least stay with a family we know? Not some strangers who will not even know who she is" her mother pleaded.

"No" her father's strong voice finished the conversation. Ziva knew it, as did her mother, who started to walk towards the door.

Ziva silently sprinted down the hall and up the stairs. Within seconds she was at her bedroom door. She slowly opened the door, stopping it halfway to avoid the creak, and slipped inside.

She fell onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. She started to make patterns out of the paintbrush strokes to slow her reeling mind. She was sucessful until a creak told her the door was opened. The end of her bed dipped down and she instantly knew by the weight that it was her mother.

"Ziva" her mother's soft voice whispered after a few minutes of silence. Ziva resisted the urge to sit up and instead continued to stare at the white plaster above her with a stoney face.

"He is sending me away again, isn't he?" she quietly asked, her lips the only things moving in the room.

"I am afraid so" the woman sighed. Ziva finally sat up, her legs crossed.

"How long?" she dared to ask.

"A year" her mother replied, brushing a stray lock of hair from Zivas face. It was fruitless, however, as the hair fell right back to where it had been.

"Why must I go?" she continued.

"He will not say, but he must have a reason" her mother told her.

"Where? Where is he sending me?"

"California, in America."

"I will learn English?" Ziva sat up straighter and her dark eyes grew big. She had always loved to learn foreign languages and knew many already. But she only knew the basics in English and tended to mix up what she did know.

"Yes" her mother simply said, knowing that there was no way Ziva would not go with the knowledge.

"Maybe a year would," she paused and look at her mother. Her eyes were sad and her head bower slightly. "Would not be so bad" Ziva slowly added, looking down at the blanket on her bed instead of her mother.

"Perhaps, besides, I am sure we could write each other" her mother added.

"And you will still have Tali to take care of, and Ari will visit occasionally" the girl added.

"Yes, your sister will still be here" her mother added before getting up and walking out. She shut the door behind her, leaving Ziva to the silence of her own thoughts.

Ziva fell back onto her mattress again and resumed her staring match with the ceiling creatures. Her mind was racing, faster even then the car Ari drove. Instinctively, she listed the reasons for both choices.

She loved her family and hated leaving them. Especially Talia, her little sister. Plus, a year was a very long time. If she went, she would be fifteen by the time she returned.

But America. She loved to travel and had longed to visit America for the longest time. She would also learn English, in a way much easier then reading out of textbooks.

But one thing alone made the decision. Her father was telling her to go and she knew she could never disobey her father.

* * *

"I will miss you, Ziva" the younger girl said, clinging to her older sister. Ziva looked into her eyes, they were so sad but innocent, she could only wish that they would be the same when she returned.

"As I will miss you, Tali" Ziva replied as the girl let go. She turned to an older boy. "Ari, shalom" she said. Ari held out his hand.

"Shalom, Ziva" he replied as she shook his hand. Smiling, he suddenly pulled her into a hug. "Stay safe" he whispered.

"Always" she replied. He let her go and she turned to her mother.

"It is only for a year, Ima" she told her. "In a few years it will be for even longer."

"I know, Ziva" her mother nodded, pulling her into a strong, warm hug. She left the warmth of her mother's arms after a few moments and turned to her father. Her back instinctively straightened and she held her head higher.

"A year will go by fast" he started. "Just stay strong and remember who you are."

"Of course, Papa" she nodded.

"Be careful who you befriend. You can never truly know a person or their secrets, so be wary" he warned. Ziva nodded as she rolled the expression around her head. She knew her father ment well, but she could not believe what he had said.

He pulled a file out of his briefcase and handed it to her.

"Read it all on the plane" he told her.

"Of course, Papa" she replied, taking the file and slipping it into her bag.

A voice called for her flight.

"Shalom" Ziva said one last time before disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

She rested the side of her head against the cool window. She watched as her homeland slowly bagan to fall away beneath her and wondered if they were watching her fly away. She doubted it, her father would have wanted to leave as soon as possible.

She watched the landscape until all she could see was the blue of the Mediterranean and the occasional speck of green as they passed over an island.

She closed the shade and pulled the file her father had given her out of her bag. She flipped it open and started to read.

* * *

Ziva was sleeping lightly on her second flight. Her father had not been able to arrange a direct flight to her destination, so she had had to get off of the plane in DC and bored another one.

She had memorized the file beforw the first flight had been half over and still could not believe what was happening to her family. She felt a nudge on her side and turned to see the man sitting next to her.

He had light brown hair that fell over his tanned skin and almost reached his pale blue eyes.

"We are about to start our landing" he told her in a light southern accent.

"Toda" she mumbled. The man gave her an odd look but brushed the foriegn word off.

She sat forward to put the seat tray back into its original position and the window caught her eyes. Brushing a stray hair away from her eyes, she looked over at the scene. A large city was unfolding itself below them as they left the cloud coverage. She sighed when the hair fell back into place and pulled the band out of her hair. Sitting up straighter, she put her hair back into a tighter ponytail.

She leant back and continued to watch as the land moved closer to them, or they moved closer to the land. At first all she could see were the buildings out, but she could soon see miniature cars and toy people.

A few minutes later they were safely on the ground. The man that was sitting next to her was one of the first ones off the plane, she barely caught a glimps of his black jacket as he rounded the corner to the exit. Ziva, however, took her time. She pulled her bag out from the overhead compartment and slipped the file inside.

Making sure she was one of the last ones, she exited the plane. She made her way out of the terminal, through customs, and finally wondered into the large waiting area.

The room was practically all windows and the sunlight threw countless shadows into the floor as travelers scurried to their destinations.

After looking around for a minute, she saw a woman whose picture had been in the file.

The woman, Amanda, had been built on the heavier side, but it worked for her. She had dirty blond hair that hung around her shoulders and grey eyes that were hiding behind a pair of thick glasses. Her mouth was stretched into a large smile that seemed to light her face up, as her eyes scanned the crowd.

Amanda noticed that Ziva was watching her and smiled even bigger.

"Ziva?" she questioned. Ziva nodded and the woman led her out to an old, green pick-up.

**Okay, tell me the truth, how is it so far? please review, I really want them ;) Next chap shouldnt take long to come up:)**

**5/13/10**


	2. To Meet A New Friend

**Okay, new chap, didnt mean to wait this long, but *wait for the excuse* its the middle of SOL week at school, well, in the state really, so I'm staying after til like 5 for the 'boot camps' so not much computer time for me, but enough about me, on to the story~~**

"We're getting a new girl" a blond girl said to her friend as they played with the make-up box that sat on the floor.

"Who told you that? Benny?" her friend scoffed, pulling some black mascara out of the container.

"No, it's true, she's gunna be here soon. That's why the Ogre left a few hours back" the blond insisted, both chuckled at the name they gave their guardian.

"Really? Let's hope she's more fun than some other girls that have come through here" she commented, throwing a look at the back of the other girl in the room. She sat at a desk in the corner, hunched over a pile of books.

"Well, we're bout to find out" the blond exclaimed, her voice full of excitement. She was standing next to the window, watching as a car pulled into the driveway.

The Ogre climbed out of the driver's seat. From the other side of the car a small girl walked towards the house.

Her black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and her large brown eyes seemed to look everywhere at once. The only bag she had was an old colorless, tattered backpack.

"She looks foreign" the blond observed as the girl followed the Ogre into the house.

"Girls" the Ogre started, "This is Ziva, she's new in the system and doesn't speak much English, so be nice" she finished before walking out of the room.

* * *

Ziva watched Amanda leave the room after saying something to the two girls in the room. She ran the words through her brain, but only understood a few words.

Deciding that she would not be able to figure out what the woman had said, she turned her attention to the room.

It was a good size with a television set against the white wall. A single couch had been pushed against the wall opposite the television. Above the paisly fabric was a large window with curtains that blended into the couch. An electric fireplace was instaled in the far wall, its metal door closed. On the wooden floor was a mess of make-up, and the two girls stood over the mess.

Both were staring at her as if she was a zoo animal. Ziva mentaly noted the way they were staring at her as well as the fact that they both seemed younger than her.

The taller of the two had red hair that hung in curls and covered one of her green eyes. Her pale, round face was sprinkled with the stereotypical freckles over her nose, which appeared to have been broken a few times.

The other girl was not only a few inches shorter, but seemed younger as well. Her tanned face, which had had yet to lose its baby fat, was framed by perfectly straight, platinum blond hair. Her pale blue eyes were watching Ziva.

"Shalom" Ziva said the greeting she traditionally used.

"What?" the red head laughed. Ziva mentally shook her head and started over.

"Hello" she used the English word.

"Hi" the red head replied.

"My name is Ziva" she said slowly as she brought back what little knowledge of the English language she possessed.

"Hayley" the red head replied.

"Alyssa" the blond added.

"So, why are you here?" Hayley suddenly asked. "What happened to your parents?"

"Where are you from?" Alyssa jumped in. "Why are you in our system if you don't speak English?"

The questions continued as Ziva's mind reeled. She had no idea what either girl was saying and they were talking so fast that the words seemed to mush together.

"Stop" a new voice suddenly cut in, stopping Hayley mid sentence. Ziva turned slightly and was surprised to see another girl leaning against the wall.

The girl was older than the other two and definitely taller. Her curly brown hair was in a lose pony tail, which Ziva guessed was just to keep the hair out of her face. Her dark brown eyes were guarded by a thick wall that had been put up over time. Behind her, Ziva could see a few text books piled on a desk.

* * *

Sara was glad when the new girl had not noticed her at first. Instead, however, the poor girl was verbaly attacked by Hayley and Alyssa.

She took the chance to observe the newbie. Her dark brown hair fell in curls down from a tight ponytail. From the angle Sara was looking at her, she couldn't see her face, but she could tell that the girl had been through a lot by the way she stood. On her back, the girl held an old backpack. It was slightly ripped and the color had worn, but she could still make out some embroidery on the flap.

Suddenly, Hayley and Alyssa were throwing question after question at the girl. They were talking so fast that she could barely understand them, let alone the new girl.

"Stop" she ordered when she saw the girl take a small step back. "Amanda said she doesn't speak much English, so stop pestering her. Weren't you two going somewhere anyway?" she asked them.

"We were gunna go to the beach" Hayley said, giving her a 'duh' look.

"So go" Sara sighed. The two younger girls stared at her before running off. "Come on" she said to Ziva, motioning to her to follow her. "You can share my room" she said as she walked into her, now their, room.

She pointed at the empty bed on one side.

"Yours" she told Ziva, who walked over to it and put her bag down. Sara sat on her own bed, which had a pile of books on the foot of the mattress. Ziva walked over to the other girl, hand out.

"Ziva David" she said as Sara took her hand.

"Sara Sidle" Sara replied, grinning.

* * *

Ziva tossed the name around her head a few time. It felt good to hear a Hebrew word, even if it was only a name.

She couldn't help but notice that Sara had a gap between her front teeth, just like her Ima. Her stomach churned at the thought of home but she pushed it down. A year may be a long time, but she had to do it.

"What do you speak?" Sara asked her, slowly so she could take in each word. Ziva instantly understood the words 'you' and 'do' but it took her a few seconds to remember the words 'speak' and 'what'. It took a few more seconds to remember the English word for her language.

"Hebrew" she finally replied.

"Israeli" Sara concluded. Ziva nodded, her mind suddenly back home with her family. "I'll help you learn English" Sara offered suddenly.

Ziva looked at her for a few seconds. She processed the phrase and smiled.

"I will teach Hebrew" she replied.

"Okay" Sara laughed.

**So, how was it, too cheesy? not cheesy enough? Good characters? or was it just straight crappy? I wont know unless you all decide to inform me, so please, do, in a review:) Oh, and the new CSI ep, OMG! thats all I'll say!**


	3. With A Hidden Past

**Okay, quicker UD, wanted to get it up yesterday, but my internet was being stupid, hmp. Anyways, there is some Hebrew in this chap, translations are at the end, if they are wrong, please tell me. Now, read on~~**

"Come on, I'll show you around the town" Sara said as she and Ziva finished their breakfast.

Ziva put her plate into the sink and followed the American out of the house. She had only been in California for two weeks, but had already picked up quite a bit of English. She was excited to see the town. The town had been hit by a storm the day after Ziva had arrived, so between the showers and floods, they had barely left the house.

Sara led her down the street the house was on; looking at the street sign she learnt it was Tallwood Lane. They turned down another street, Schley Road, then onto Tamales Avenue and were in the middle of a bustling main street.

"This is the only busy street of the entire town during the summer" Sara told her. "That is the grocery store" she pointed to the largest building with a constant flow of traffic moving in and out of the propped open doors. " But there is a farmers market practically every other weekend. And that's the drug store" a smaller store on the corner. A few bikes were leaning against the brick wall and Ziva could see some kids around their ages through the large window. "The bank is over there and next to it is the police station" two official looking buildings.

"And the rest?" Ziva asked her, looking at all of the other buildings that lined the street. They all seemed more colorful and personal than the other four.

"Just other stores, clothes, books, toys, all of that stuff" Sara shrugged. They walked down the busy sidewalk and Ziva was amazed at how safe the place was.

When they reached the end of the street, they turned onto a path with a wooden street sign, Sandy Path. Ziva looked around her; they were walking through dense woods. Not far ahead of them a larger group of teenagers were laughing.

After walking in the shade for a few more minutes the trees ended and they were standing not far from the edge of a cliff. Sara turned and they walked along the edge until they reached the bottom of the cliff.

Ziva was amazed as she saw the beach open up in front of her. Small families were sitting on blankets and groups of teenagers were listening to music as some of them surfed the large waves from the storm.

"This is the beach" Sara told her.

"Beach" Ziva replied, and then added "Hof."

"Hof" Sara repeated, looking around them.

* * *

Sara sat cross-legged with a pile of books next to her. Ziva sat across from her, one leg folder under her. Between them sat a picture book, open to a picture of a bed room.

"Bed" Sara said, pointing to said object.

"Bed" Ziva repeated, "Mita."

"Mita" Sara said.

"The library will be closing in five minutes. The library will be closing in five minutes" a voice said on the overhead.

"Come on, let's go" Sara said, picking up the books. She walked over to a table and put them on it.

They walked out of the building onto Schley Road. Even though it was dark out, neither of them were wearing a jacket. It was the beginning of July and Ziva had been there for close to a month.

Everyday Ziva thought about her family and wished she was still in Israel.

* * *

"Be'vakasha, tell me again why Americans do this" Ziva asked as they stood on the crowded pavement. An assortment of cars and floats drove down the street.

"Cause its the Fourth of July, Ziva, our Independence Day" Sara shrugged as the mayors car ended the parade.

"But why is it celebrated this way?"

"I have no idea, its just how Americans celebrate, we do the same thing on Thanksgiving, and do hte whole fireworks thing on the New Year as well."

"I do not understand your people" Ziva shook her head.

"Me neither" Sara replied as the crowd thinned. Sara started to walk in the opposite way of the rest of the crowd.

"Why are we not going to the beach?" the Israeli questioned. She was sure she had heard that there was going to be games and rides and food and fireworks on the sandy expanse. In fact, Amanda had given them enough money to last and entire day at the fair.

"You go, I have somewhere else I have to be" Sara brushed the question off. "Here, take my money" she added, handing the younger girl most of the money Amanda had given her.

Ziva looked at her for a few moments before nodding. She turned and followed the crowd for a few moments before stealthely turning into an alley. She pocked her head out to see Sara walking the other direction.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to think of where the other girl was going. After watching her for a few moments, she stepped out and started to follow her.

Sara was constantly looking over her shoulder as she walked until she entered the florist with her head down. Ziva waited a few minutes until she emerged with a pot in her hands. In the black, plastic container was a stalk covered in vivid red flowers.

Sara continued after she exited the cool store and did not stop until she reached the local cemetary. The older girl stopped momentarily in front of the gate but shook har head and entered just a few seconds later.

Ziva swiftly followed her aong the compacted dirt trails. For a small town, the cemetary was larger than Ziva had expected, and Sara was leading her towards the back end.

After a few minutes of walking, the path was no longed bordered by graves and freasly cut grass, instead the two girls were walking through tall oak trees.

Eventually, Sara walking into a smaller gravesite. Unlike the others, this site was fenced off and none of the graves were cared for. The American deftly lept over the fence and sat crosslegged in front of one of the newer graves. She set the flowers, still in the pot, in front of the roughly cut cross.

"It's been another year" she growled. "Another year without you, and I just want you too know that this is the last year I will be comeing to see you. Despite what you used to say, and the reputation you have left me with, I am getting out of this godforsaken hell of a town next year and am never returning. You and Mom never did a damn thing for me, so I'm getting myself out and leaving this life behind."

Sara sat in front of the grave for almost half an hour before moving again. She gave a strangled cry and threw the first thing she could grab at the headstone.

She suddenly stood up and walked back to the fence. After she jumped the wooden slates again, she raced down the path.

When she could no longer hear footsteps, Ziva walked out from behind some trees, and jumped the fence herself. She slowly walked to the grave and looked down at it.

The dark grey granite was roughly cut into its simple, curved shape. It barely reached her knees. Two lines of text had been sloppily etched into the face of the stone.

_Steven Jacob Sidle_

_March 9, 1954 - July 4, 1981_

Patchy grass had grown back over the dig site, but the ontire effect seemed very uncaring and inexpensive.

On the ground in front of the headstone, the flowers Sara had brought lay crumpled from when the girl had thrown them. The soil had fallen out of the container and dotted the red of the petals.

Her mind racing, Ziva turned to look back the way Sara had dissapeard to.

* * *

"What do you mean by 'school'?" Ziva asked Sara as they walked through the small drug store. Sara had just informed that they were shopping for school supplies.

"School is, a place where we are sent to learn" Sara explained slowly as she searched for a way to word it that Ziva would understand.

"Oh, bet sefer" Ziva nodded her head.

"I guess" Sara shrugged, pulling a pack of pencils off the shelf.

"And we are going to go to this school next week?" the Israeli questioned.

"Yes, you will be a freshman, and I am going to be a senior" Sara explained further.

She looked back at Zivas expresion and laughed.

"A freshman is a ninth grader, the youngest in the school. A senior is a twelth grader, the oldest in the school" she elaborated. The Israeli nodded in comprehension.

"So you are, three years ahead of me, yes?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, first of all, I am older, but I skipped a grade when I was little, so I'm actually younger tham most of the seniors."

"Oh" Ziva blinked a few times. "My father always hired people to teach me, I was rarely taught with other children" she said.

"That's cool" Sara commented, grabbing a pack of notebooks and a few packets of paper.

"I get very lonely, I did ot have many friends" Ziva continued.

"I wouldnt mind getting away from some of the idiots in my class" Sara shrugged, adding a few erasers to their load.

"What will I learn?" the younger girl inquired.

"Well, the school was sent your transcript, so you will know in a few days, when the schedules come" the older girl replied, checking everything they had.

"Transcript? Schedules?" Ziva's brow furrowed.

"Your transcript is a paper that says what classes you have taken so far and what credits you have earned. Your schedule will show what you are going to learn this year, who your teachers will be, what rooms you will be in, and some other random information" Sara explained, leading her to the register.

"Oh" Ziva said as Sara handed the man the money.

They walked out of the store in silence, both holding two bags.

"Does Amanda have to pay for us to go to school?" Ziva asked when they were half way to the house.

"No, we go to public school, public school is free in America" Sara explained.

Ziva nodded and they continued to walk.

"How long do the school years last?" Ziva continued her interogation.

"Til the middle of June" Sara replied.

"So we're stuck with you for ten more months, Sidle" a weasly voice sneered.

The two girls turned around to find three boys and one girl standing behind them.

The boy who had spoken stood in front of the others had dirty blond hair and pale green eyes. His thin, lanky build towered over even Sara. He was wearing jeans and a concert T.

The girl stood right next to him had platinum blond hair and light blue eyes. She just reached the boys chin but appeared to be wearing his leather letter jacket from school.

The other boys were built thick with matching black hair and hazel eyes. They appeared to be more muscle than brain.

"Damn, ten months is such a long time, we might not survive" the girl laughed.

"Shut up, Barbera" Sara sighed. "I dont want any trouble" she added.

"Neither do we" the thin boy replied, grinning as he pushed the brunette.

"Stop" Ziva spoke up.

"Whats this?" Barbera laughed. "Another foster, thats funny. How'd you lose your parents?" she asked, pretending to care.

Zivas face went dark, in a quick movement, she had the girl pressed down on hte sidewalk. Sara instantly dropped the bags and tried to pull Ziva off. The boys were too stunned to do anything.

"Lo" Sara whispered.

Ziva held her position for a few seconds before realization hit her.

She was in America, undercover, not in Israel in training.

She reluctently let the girl go and stalked off after grabbing the bags. Sara walked off right behind her.

The remained quiet for most of the walk back to the house.

"Teach me to fight" Sara said as the house came into view.

"Ken" Ziva quietly replied.

**Hope you like it, please say you liked it, please:)**

**Hebrew words-**

**Be'vakasha- please**

**Lo- no**

**Ken- yes**

**Oh, and the flowers Sara had were ****Lobelias, they stand for malevolence, just wanted to throw that our there.**

**Now~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REVIEW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PLEASE:P**

**5/25/10**


	4. As Dark As Mine

**Okay, slightly longer wait, but my flashdrive locked me out, and thats where everything was, this story, other stories, my schoolwork, so I just retyped this chap in an everlasting attempt to avoid my homework, hope you like it ~~**

Ziva was sitting on her bed, her back against the hard wall. She was reading a book she had taken from the library just over a week ago. It was simple, but slightly challenging for someone new to the language.

_"How can you whip cream without whips? Whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped with whips. Just as a poached egg isn't a poached egg unless it's been stolen from the woods in the dead of night!"_

She reread the words slowly, trying to decipher the lines. She decided to ask Sara about it later and started to move on.

"You have a letter, Ziva" Amanda's voice said, pulling her from the marvelous factory.

The girl marked her place in the book and stood up to take the letter.

"Toda" she said as she looked the envelope over. Amanda smiled and left.

The white envelope was regulation size with the words printed on the front. However, there was no return address.

She all but ripped the outer paper open and pulled the letter out.

The letter was written in Hebrew. She instantly recognised the precise handwriting and read the words quickly.

As her eyes moved down the paper, her face fell and her breathing slowed. Suddenly, she dropped the paper and stood still for a few moments before dashing out of the room. She was on the street within twenty seconds, the front door still open behind her.

She stopped when she saw the scene in front of her.

The entire street was in ruble. The pavement of the sidewalks had practically flipped, reveling dry dirt. The houses stood with flames licking through where windows had previously been. Cars had upturned, their tires melted and upholstery on fire. Trees had fallen and bushes had burnt to the ground.

However, Ziva barely noticed the state of her surroundings. Laying all over were bodies. They lay in grotesque positions, their faces unrecognizable, and their skin charred. A few had even been reduced to pieces by whatever had caused this.

Slowly, she started to walk through the bodies. Her eyes were wide in shock and her nose wrinkled at the stench of smoke mixed with burnt flesh.

Her foot suddenly landed on something soft. She stepped back and looked at what she had stepped on. Laying in front of her was Sara's body. The older girls eyes were open wide and one of her arms was missing. The brunette hair was singed at the edges and her pale skin was stained with soot.

Ziva quickly backpedaled, only to trip on a body that was behind her. She fell with her legs bent over the body and her eyes searched for the face. Ari.

She sat up and knelt next to her brother. She brushed some debris from his hair. Suddenly, she stood up and ran down the street.

Her feet hit the ruble hard as she sprinted away. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she occasionally stepped on another body.

Eventually, her eyes were filled with the salty liquid and she couldn't see in front of her. She ended up tripping over another body.

It was a young girl. The girls dark hair covered her face. Ziva brushed the hair away and let out a strangled cry.

"Tali, Tali, be'vakasha, Tali" she whispered, holding the corpse to her chest. However, something weighed her sister down.

A thin hand had a grip on Tali's wrist. Ziva's eyes followed the arm to the face of her mother.

"Ima" she whispered, tears falling steadily now.

She jumped when a hand was laid on her shoulder. She jumped to her feet and spun to face the person.

It was a teenage boy a few years older than her. His deep green eyes bore into her brown eyes. As layer of dust had settled on his think, brown hair and the shoulders of his school uniform.

"We have to go" the boy told her, his voice sounded like it should be joking instead.

Ziva turning to look at her dead mother and sister one more time. She looked back at the boy and nodded. He led her away from the bodies, towards a large black car.

Ziva could see her father standing by an open door, a morose look on his face.

Ziva and the boy were less than a hundred feet from the car when gunshots pierced the silence. Ziva was forced to the ground by the strange boy just as a bullet zipped over them, exactly where her head had been.

She slowly sat up and looked towards her father. He had fallen against the cold metal, clutching his chest. He slowly slid to the ground and when his hands fell, she could see the blood oozing from the hole in his chest.

The boy suddenly pulled her down again and covered her body with his own. Almost instantly he went limp and she could feel his blood rolling down her shirt.

She pushed him off of her and knelt next to him. His face was calm and his green eyes stared at the clear blue sky.

Suddenly, she was screaming. Screaming in pain, in sorrow, in fear. Screaming for her lost family. Screaming for her lost friend. Screaming for the strange, green eyed boy.

She faintly saw the outline of the gun as it was brought before her face through the tears. She faintly felt the cool metal as it was pushed against her skin. She faintly heard the trigger being pulled through her piercing screams.

**So, hope you liked the story, its now over - just joking, I would never end a story like that, the next chap will be up soon. the quote was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryby Roald Dahl, chapter 18**

**Hebrew-**

**Toda- thanks**

**be'vakasha- please**

**thats all, and please, reviews make me update more, somebody reviewed earlier today, which motivated me to type the chap up, true story, so everybody, review:)**

**6/5/10**


	5. She Helps With Terrors Of The Night

**So, sudden inspiration earlier to type this up, sooooo sorry bout the wait, but I've been soooo busy, between finals, practices and family drama, I've been beat. Oh, and the flash drive that what I've type up is on, decided to lock me out, so I'm retyping everything but part of chap 6 and 7. but, despite all of that, here it is~~~~**

Sara was woken by soft noises across the room. She groggily wished she was a heavier sleeper, but was on her feet instantly when she realised what the noises were.

She had learnt early on that Ziva, although having her own share of nightmares, never made more than a whispered.

"Ziva" she whispered as she started to cross the room. Her steps were silent as to not alarm the sleeping girl. "Rafa, Ziva, rafa" she continued to whispered.

When she finally reached the other bed, she sat on the edge, careful to not touch the other girl, knowing that, even in sleep, Ziva had a hell of a right hook.

She looked down at the younger girl with worry. Zivas tan features were panicked and showed a hint of fear. A tiny line of sweat was starting to form at her hairline and her eyes darted from side to side beneath her eyelids.

Sara started to softly hum the tune to a song she had heard Ziva sing many times. Ever since she had realised Ziva had nightmares, she would hum the tune and the other girl would return to a calm sleep.

This time, however, Zivas eyes snapped open and latched onto Sara. Before Sara could say anything, she was pinned to the ground beneath the Israeli.

* * *

Ziva was woken by soft humming that overpowered the sound of her screams and the gunshot in her head. It brought the image of her mother forward, singing softly as her two girl fell asleep in their beds.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see her mother above her. Fear coursed through her body when, instead, she saw the figure of somebody else. The dark of the room hide the figures features, but she could see the dark hair and dark eyes.

Before the other person could do anything, her training kicked in and she had the person pinned to the floor.

It took her a few seconds to realize who it was.

"Sara" she said, shocked.

"Geddof me" Sara gasped, trying to pull Zivas arm off of her throat.

"Slih'a" Ziva said, sitting up. She stood up and bent down to help Sara up.

They sat on Zivas bed in silence for a few minutes. Sara was just staring at her hands, her feet flat on the floor. But Ziva had her knees drawn up to her chest, her face buried in her arms.

"Are you okay?" Sara suddenly asked, turning to the other girl. She lifted her left leg so it was bent in front of her.

"Khalom, khalom" Ziva whispered into her arm.

Sara scooted closer to her and wrapped her arm around the other girl.

"Whatever it was, it was just a dream" she whispered.

Ziva lifted her head off of her arms. She stared at the wall across from her, but Sara could see a tear make its way down her cheek.

"Everyone was dead" Ziva whispered into the darkness.

Sara stayed quiet, assuming the dream had to do with what landed Ziva in the system. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Fortunately the hands were illuminated by the moonlight as it shone through the window.

"It's just after two, we should go back to sleep" Sara softly told her. "We have school later" she added.

Ziva just nodded. She reached over for the glass on her nightstand and took a sip before laying back down.

Sara continued to sit on the edge of her bad, wanting to make sure Ziva was asleep before returning to sleep herself. However, not long after she had made the suggestion, she was laying sideways across Zivas bed, passed out.

* * *

A different noise woke Sara this time. Still slightly disoriented from sleep, she sat up on Zivas bed, only to end up on the floor when she ended up being to close to the edge of the mattress. The fall, however painful, woke her up enough for her to realise what the noise was.

Cursing under her breath, she stumbled across the room and smaked the top of her alarm clock, effectivly shuting it up.

She turned to the rooms other occupant and sighed. Ziva was still curled up on top of her covers, deep in sleep.

"Boker tov" she started, walking back over to the other bed. "Time to get up, Ziva."

Ziva opened one eye just enough to glare at her. She then proceeded to roll over and pull her pillow over her head in the classic 'let me sleep' motion.

Sara laughed quietly and walked over to the bed to pull the pillow from Zivas vice like grip.

"C'mon, we gotta get ready for school" Sara laughed at the Israelis new attitude, the younger girl was normally waking her up.

"Lo ba li" Ziva instantly said. She got up, however, when she realised that she had no other pillow.

She rolled out of the bed and glared at the taller girl.

"Deal, we gotta get ready" Sara told her before walking out to use the bathroom.

Ziva continued to grumble as she pulled her top drawer open. Glancing behind her, she pulled a picture out from under her underwear.

"Talia, Ima" she quietly said, touching the picture softly. Her mind drifted back to her dream and she kept telling herself that they were safe. They were safe, but a year was going to take longer than she had originally thought.

She slid the picture back under the fabric when she heard footsteps outside the door. She knew it was Amanda, Sara walked almost silently and the other girls had quick paced steps. Amandas were slightly heavier and slower.

The door started to open, creaking when it hit the half-way point and Amanda poked her head in.

"Good, you two are up" the woman said. "You have half an hour before you have to leave" she added before leaving and walking down the hall to the next room.

Ziva watched the door for a few moments before returning her attention to her dresser. It was only half of clothes, most that Amanda had bought, but it was enough for her. On top of the dresser was a picture of her and Sara, her hairbrush, toothbrush, and some books from the library. On the floor, leaning on the wood, was a new backpack. Her old one was hidden under her bed.

She pulled her clothes for the day out and quickly changed. She was pulling her shirt over her head when Sara walked back into the room.

"You better get in there now, before anyone else does" Sara warned.

"Toda" Ziva said as she left the room.

Sara watched the other girl leave. She was still slightly curious about the nightmare, but, with her experience of nightmares, decided to leave the topic alone.

When Ziva returned to the room ten minutes later, Sara was fully dressed and ready to go.

"We've got ten minutes to eat before we have to leave" Sara told her.

"Sababa" Ziva replied as she pulled her old backpack from under her bed. She opened one of the smaller pockets and pulled a gold Star of David out. She clasped the chain behind her neck and pushed the bag back under her bed.

"Yalla" Sara said from the door.

Ziva glared at her and grabbed her new backpack and followed Sara to the kitchen.

After completely healthy meals of donuts and orange juice, the two girls headed out the door for the school.

They walked down Tallwood Lane, the opposite way to get to the main street and soon turned onto a smaller street, Vanilla Quarter.

"Don't worry, I'll show you around before the bell rings" Sara told the younger girl after she had told her that she was concerned about getting lost in the school. They were part of the way down Vanilla Quarter.

"Toda" Ziva said. She was about to ask something when they heard footsteps behind them.

"Kill anyone lately, Sidle?" a boy asked as he pushed past them. Sara stopped abruptly, followed by a confused Ziva.

She turned to Sara and was about to ask what he meant when another boy pushed himself between the girls and draped his arms on their shoulders.

"Whose this, huh Sidle?" he asked, sticking his face into Zivas.

She was about the push him away when he continued.

"Is she your next victim, hmm, are you gaining her trust before you strike?" he nudged Sara. "Or is she your new fuck buddy? Cause if its that one, I have to say, for a dyke, you have good taste" he laughed, looking up and down Ziva, who glared at him.

He was, she sourly noted, devilishly handsome, with messy brown hair and deep blue eyes. His face had a mask of mischief that only seemed to help his looks.

The Israeli turned to look at Sara. She had never seen the older girl so defeated. Her head was down, her hair covering her face, and her shoulders slumped. Ziva did not fully understand what the boy was saying, but she did know that it was hurting her friend.

"Go away, Derik" Sara said. Her voice appeared to be strong, but Ziva could hear the soft quiver in it.

The boy raised his arms and walk ahead of them, making sure to never have his back to Sara.

"Fine" he relented before turning to Ziva. "But, I warn you, never let her near a knife" he laughed before running off.

Ziva was tempted to ask Sara what the boys had meant, but Saras stance and the fact that the older girl had let her nightmare go unquestioned prompted silence.

The girls silence continued as they walked down Vanilla Quarter before turning on South Street. About halfway down they turned into a cul-de-sac, Bison Court.

At the end of the cul-de-sac was the entrance to the school. The front gate was large and dark blue. At the top, split between the two halves was the school crest. Above the gate was a metal banner that read 'Tamales Bay High School'. At the foot of the gate was the painting of a buffalo head.

Students huddled all around the gate. Ziva could see distinct groups, wondering which one Sara would join. Her confusion grew more when she noticed that stares that came from the other students as Sara, completely ignoring the others, led her to the gate.

**So, wadda think? please tell me, so please, review**

**Hebrew-**

**Rafa- used here as relax**

**Slih'a- sorry**

**Khalom- dream**

**Boker tov- good morning**

**Lo Ba li- dont want to**

**Sababa- Used here as OK**

**Yalla- Let's go**

**Again, if you see any mistakes in the Hebrew, please tell me, much appreciated. oh, and words like Ima and toda will be left out cause I've used tham almost every chap so far, sorry. and, again, please reivew, I really want to know what you all think of this story:)**

**2/27/2010 (barely;P)**


	6. And Of School

**New chap, this was probrally the hardest for me to write so far, i dunno, its annoying. anyway, new day, new chap. thanks to people who review, and i realise that not a lot of people are reading this, but please, if you are, please review, they are really motivating me to type this thing up. now, read~~**

Less than a minute after Ziva and Sara had arrived, a tall, thin man opened the large gate. The man was balding and wearing a grey janitors uniform.

"C'mon, Ziva" Sara said, her voice was low and dark as she led the younger girl through the gate and onto the school ground.

When they first walked through the gate they were standing in a large commons area. A small office building stood to the left just inside the gate. The ground was a light rock with what seemed to be a giant buffalo was comprised of darker shades in the center of the floor.

Ziva could count four main buildings, all two story with the stairs going up into the side. To the side she could see several smaller buildings.

"Each grade has their own building" Sara started to explain. "You will have math, English, history, and study block in the freshmen building" she continued, pointing to the main buildings closest to them. "All science classes are in there" a smaller, L-shaped building that wrapped around one of the main ones. "The lunch area in in the back, as well as the gym, field, and PE lockers. All of the other buildings are electives, languages, arts, all of that stuff."

"It sounds confusing" Ziva said, her eyebrows burrowed.

"At first, it can be, but you'll get used to it after a while" Sara shrugged. "Whats your first class?"

"It is" Ziva started, looking at the paper. "English 9 with Ms. Jankins, room 121."

Sara said nothing as she led Ziva into the freshman building, but Ziva could see her face harden.

They walked down one of the locker covered hallways until they reached the room they were looking for.

The room had off white walls and a tiled floor with an unpredictable pattern of orange and brown amongst the white squares.

A large blackboard took up most of the front wall and a cork board hung next to the door while posters with cheesy sayings covered the rest of the walls. The teachers desk was in the far corner, under one of the three windows.

The students desks were set up so they were facing the the door and blackboard while their backs were to the window. They were in six rows of six desks each. A few students had already chosen their seats and had left their bags behind to prove it.

A small, blond woman stood in front of the blackboard, writing the days plan on it. She was about as tall as Ziva and was wearing a flowery dress and a light green cardigan.

The woman, having finished with her writing, turned around a few moments after they arrived. She had soft features and dull blue eyes that hardened when they saw Sara.

"Good morning, Sara" she said stiffly.

"Ms. Jankins" Sara nodded. "This is Ziva."

"Day-vid, the office told us about her, the Israeli girl" the woman cut her off.

"It is Da-veed" Ziva corrected her.

"Of course, the principal told us she doesn't speak English" the woman brushed her off.

"I did not speak much when I first came here, but I am a fast learner" Ziva stood up for herself, satisfied with the teachers shocked expression and Saras smirk.

The blond woman huffed and walked to the door to welcome other students coming in.

"You'll get a map of the school in this class, use it to find your way around, go to the gym for PE" Sara told her. "I have to get to my class, shalom" she finished.

"Shalom" Ziva replied as the older girl turned and left.

* * *

Sara walked out of the freshman building as quickly as possible. It felt weird being back in there, it seemed smaller than she remembered and everyone was shorter than her.

She made her way to the L-shaped science building, ignoring the glares as she passed people.

She hated going to school. The concept in itself wasn't what bothered her, in fact, she loved to learn. It was the attention she drew that she hated. Everybody in the entire school knew about her past, Ziva being one of the few exceptions.It wasn't even that that bothered her. It wouldn't be so bad if people would just forget about it. Instead they all stare at her like she was a main attraction in the zoo.

Even most the teachers watched her carefully and avoided her if possible. Ms. Jankins was one of the worse. Sara knew she had been one of her fathers many mistresses and the teacher knew she knew.

Soon, however, she was in the welcome chill of the science building. The lights in this building were dimmer than the others and the walls were not lined with lockers. Instead, the white walls were covered with a multitude of science posters and old projects the teachers had donated.

It was one of her few sanctuaries. She had never been a fan of heat and the AC in the science building always worked. The harsh lights in the other buildings bothered her eyes. And the teachers here accepted her more. They all looked over her past when they saw how good she was in their subjects.

Sara pushed the thoughts from her mind when she walked into her first class, advanced physics with Mrs. Karr.

Mrs. Karr was one of her favorite teachers. The previous year had been her first year at Tamales Bay High and Sara had been in her regular physics teacher. The other teachers had, of course, told them of Saras past, but the New Yorker couldn't care less.

"Good morning, Sara" the red head said when she saw the girl.

"Morning" Sara replied with a smile. She put her bag at the same seat she had used the previous year.

"I hope your summer was fun" the teacher continued in her thick Brooklyn accent.

"Well, it was interesting" Sara laughed softly.

"Yes, I heard there is a new girl in your home, the rumors say she is Israeli."

"Yeah, Ziva David. All i know is that she's first generation Israeli-American from a small town north of us. I've been helping her with her English and shes been teaching me some Hebrew."

"And I assume you haven't asked why she is in the system?"

"Of course not, I hate it when people ask" Saras voice lowered at the end. She turned to look around the room.

It had large windows across from the door and a cool lab bench along four of the walls. Cupboards under the black granite held the lab supplies. Heavy tables sat around the room, made of the same materials.

"This is your last year here" the teacher cut into the silence.

"Yup, then I'm gone" Sara smiled.

* * *

Ziva sat at the desk Ms. Jankins had pointed her to, in the back corner across the room from the teachers desk. The other students had slowly trickled in before the bell rang. Everyone talked excitedly, glad to finally be in high school and back with their friends. A few people turned to look at the new girl, the rumors spreading quickly.

After a few minutes of strong chatter, Ms. Jankins walked to the front of the class to call roll. After she had made it through the small list, she introduced herself.

"Good morning, class, my name is Ms. Jankins and I am your English teacher for the year" she said as she handed a pile of packets to the first person in each row, who took one a passed the rest back. "Each packet has a copy of the class expectations, contact information, and a map of the school. They also have papers your parents need to fill out."

"We need another one" the boy in front of Ziva called out.

Ms. Jankins looked over at them and smiled softly.

"That's all that I have" she said apologetically.

The rest of the class accepted it, but Ziva looked right through her lie. Three people were absent, still on vacation according to other students. However, Ziva knew when the teachers mouth tweaked slightly at the ends and when she straightened her cardigan.

"Here, you can have mine" the boy said, handing his back. He smiled, glad to not have to deal with the papers yet. Ms. Jankins didn't look pleased but didn't say anything.

* * *

"How was your first day?" Amanda asked when the two girls walked into the kitchen.

"It was fine" Ziva replied as Sara searched for food.

"We have papers for you" Sara told her, grabbing a bag of chips out of the pantry.

"Joy" Amanda sighed, taking the forms Ziva handed her.

"We'll be in our room" Sara said as they left the kitchen, arms full of food.

**Was it good? I do realise that the school systems were different then, with junior high and everything, but I dont get that system, so, Im using what i know. and now that you have read it, please take a few more seconds to review, please, it would mean a lot to me:)**


	7. My Family Suffered

**New chap, yippee! this one was gunna be later, but I decided that it fits better here, not with Sara and Ziva, now read, then review:)**

"Where is she?" a rough voice hissed in her ear. The man was standing behind her, holding her head back by her hair.

The wooden chair she was tied to bit the back of her neck as he held her head in place. The blindfold that covered her eyes was rough and she desired so much to itch the skin it hit.

"I do not know" she hoarsely replied, the lack of water burning her throat and making it hard to talk. She could hear the man move in front of her.

"Nim'as li, zonah!" He growled, backhanding her across the face, hitting the bruise that had already formed there. "How do you not know, she is you daughter" he spat.

"Her father did not tell me of his plans" she slowly replied, her words forced.

"Sir" a voice said from across the room after a door slammed open.

"What?" the other man yelled.

"We found record of a single, child's plane ticket out of Tel Aviv to the United States from the time she vanished. The ticket was under the name Lot David" the voice explained.

Her face fell as fear flooded her veins.

"Well, it seems we may find her yet" he laughed, she shuddered at his tone.

She felt air pass her cheek and braced herself for another slap. The man, however, seemed to decide against it and the next thing she heard was the door slam close and the lock bolt shut.

"Oh, Ziva, what have we sent you into?" she whispered to herself. Her head dropped and a single tear rolled down her dirty cheeks.

She suddenly looked up when a small click echoed throughout the room she was in.

* * *

Everyone believed her to be clueless. She may not have received the same training as her brother or sister, but it is not hard to learn new skills when almost your entire family is Mossad.

That was how she ended up sitting outside her fathers home office without being detected.

"How have you not found her yet?" her father was yelling at one of his officers.

"It appears we have underestimated the power of their group" the other man replied, by now used to the directors anger. "And the girl, has she been informed?"

"Yes, Ziva will be informed" her father answered with the authority that said the conversation was over.

The officer quickly left. She shrunk into the wall as he passed, her dark hair covering her face.

He simply walked down the hall, not even noticing the young girl. For a split second, she believed she had gotten away with it, but her hopes were shattered when when she heard her father voice.

"I know you are there, Talia" the deep voice chuckled softly.

Tali stood up, defeated and walked into the office.

The large window across from the door showed how nice the day was. Her father sat at his desk with his back to the view. The girl had never understood that. She would have her desk so she could see both the door and the window.

"Is Ziva going to come home soon?" she asked. The house had been quiet since her sister had left. Ari had gone back to school and her mother was on vacation.

"I hope so, little one" he replied, his face darkened. She walked to him.

"And Ima?" she continued.

"I do not know" he admitted. She climbed into his lab and hugged him.

"Everything will be alright, Papa" she smiled at him before walking out.

Eli looked at the empty doorway for a few moments. Tali was his last strand to reality. Ari was off at school with only enough communication to be sure of his safety. Ziva was half way across the world in order to keep her safe. And his wife, she was gone, taken by the men who wanted nothing more than to harm him.

But Tali, sweet little Tali, was still with him. She still looked at the world with the same innocence that Ziva once had, that he had once had.

He felt hopeless, but in that smile, he saw hope.

* * *

"Damn, Haswari, it may only be a bag, but don't kill it" a British accented voice laughed from nearby.

The other boy stopped his attack on the punching bag and turned to stalk out of the room.

"Whats his problem?" another boy asked from the weights.

"No idea" the first boy shrugged, taken over the bag.

Ari slammed the locker room door shut behind him and shoved the heavy laundry basket in front of it.

He glanced around the room before overturning the bench that ran down then center of the room. He stared at the wood for a second before sliding down the wall.

He had gotten a letter from his father the other day. Now, not only was Ziva in hiding, but her mother had been taken by the men Ziva was hiding from.

He barely knew the woman. Was she strong enough to keep Zivas location secret? Would she give them up? He sure hoped not.

All he knew was that the family was split up, scattered with the wind. And it was all because his father was more apt at making enemies than friends.

**Its short, yeah, but I hope its good, please tell me if it is, or if it isnt, just, tell me:)**

**and the Hebrew, some non nice words in this chap, if you REALLY wanna know what they said, review and i'll tell you in the reply (in a way teh censors do get em) okay?**

**so, yeah, I'll say it again, review:)**


	8. As Did I

**I know, long wait, I'm so sorry, but I've completely redone the chap, completely, and its been coming slowly cause its all changed in my mind, now, stop reading my mini-rant and read my story, and please review at the end:)**

"I do not understand" Ziva said as she sat on the floor, working on some math problems.

Sara looked up from her textbook and put her pencil down.

"What?" she asked. "The math?"

"Lo," Ziva shook her head. "At school, the others seem to... to, just leave you alone" she stumbled over the unknown world.

"They ignore me, Ziva" Sara sighed.

"Yes, they ignore you. Why?" the Israeli persisted.

Sara sighed again and closed her eyes. She knew that it was going to come up eventually, but at least the kids at school hadn't filled her friend in.

"I..." she stumbled. Up to this point, the times she had actually told the story was to the cops and in the court room. Never to someone who opinion she cared about.

"Most people in the system, most of us, have a bad past. Whether just before we entered the system or... or long before, but you know that."

Ziva watched her, the older girls eyes were staring at the wall, but not really seeing what was in front of her. Part of her regretted asking, but she had to know.

"I used to envy the people who lost their parents to an accident. They tended to have had an easy life before whatever killed their parents. Now, however, I know that they arent so lucky. They live here with the knowledge that, if their parents were still alive, they would be having a great life now" the girl let out a dark laugh.

"I live here with the knowledge that my life would probably be worse if that night hadn't happened. I know that I would still live in silence, that my dad would still beat my mom, and my mom, if she was conscious, would still turn it around on me. I know that, in school, I would still be just another science geek.

"But that night changed everything."

Sara fell into a thick silence. Ziva just stared at her. She wanted the other girl to continued, but did not want to push her. Finally Sara continued to speak.

"He came home late that night, I remember that. I don't remember why he came home late, but I do remember how mad my mom was when he walked through the door. They started to yell at each other until he threw her against the wall. Normally, she would just let him beat her, but that day, I... I guess she was just sick of it.

"She started to fight back. Somehow, one of them got a knife. I remember the blade sinking into his chest, again and again. I remember screaming at her to stop. I remember her turning on me, the knife still in her hands. I remember getting up to run when a pain in my arm stopped me.

"I don't remember who stopped her. I don't remember who took me to the hospital. The next few months were a blur, between the trial, hospital, and entering the system. All the kids at school know what happened. I'm even more of an outcast now, just one that everyone pays attention to" Sara finished with another dark laugh.

The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, both thinking.

Sara sat with her back against the bed and her legs to her chest. Her eyes had been staring blankly at the same spot the entire time. Her face was pale and tears were rolling down her skin.

Ziva was sitting cross legged by her own bed, her face blank. She had seen the scar on Sara's arm, but had assumed it to be from an accident. She had never thought the girls mother had given it to her.

Suddenly, she had to talk. Sara had just told her biggest secret, Ziva could not just let that go. The words started to leave her mouth before she could think.

"My father always wants the best from me" Ziva started. Sara's head snapped in her direction. "He will not accept anything... less than perfect. He did it to my brother and will most likely do it to my sister. But, I never do anything well enough for him. My mother, cares for us and" she paused, lost in thought.

Her mind suddenly remembered the cover her father had come up with. She hated it, but could not risk telling Sara the truth.

"There was an accident. They were going into town to do some shopping. Less than five miles from our house and the car had crashed down a cliff. Nobody knows how it happened, but none of them survived. I was going to be with them but my father would not let me go. I got a B in math" Ziva's voice faltered.

She knew it was not true, it was just a tale her father had come up with. But thinking about her family seemed to intensify how much she missed them.

Yet again the girls lapsed into silence. They both sat on the floor, their minds racing.

"Life sucks sometimes" Sara darkly said. "The way some people survive but some don't."

Ziva continued to sit in silence.

**So, how was it? I was originally gunna have Ziva tell Sara the truth, but then someone asked me what her cover was, and i realized that there is no way she would tell Sara, hope you like it, I think its way better than the first draft, now PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE:)(:**

**Oh, and please go to my profile, there is a poll there for a new fic I'm working on, please vote:)**


	9. We Had Normal Days

**So, I just realized that I havnt updated this since August, I think, due to writers block and a change in the plot, so I got this out, and will continue soon as possible.**

The beach was relatively empty as the moon cast its pale light the land. A soft snow fall attempted to cover the sand as the two girls ran through the particles in heavy boots, but its attempt was just that, an attempt, as it melted on impact.

The girls ran down the beach for a while before turning into the trees that bordered it. They ran through the brush and trees until they slid into a small cave. Once inside, they started to fight without getting out of the heavy winter gear they wore.

They were nowhere close to being evenly matched. The younger girls movements were quick and precise. She moved with a purpose, and memorised skills. It was obvious that, as good as she was, she was holding back.

The other girl was constantly on defense, just barely blocking the attacks of her companion. She often lost her footing, but rarely fell. Occasionally, the younger girl would defeat her, and they would start over.

Once in a while, the shorter girl would show the other a better way to do something, or would demonstrate a certain move.

Eventually, the sun shone through the entrance of the cave, and the girls stopped.

They smiled at each other and climbed up, out of the cave and started to run again.

* * *

"You are getting better" Ziva told Sara as they sat at the kitchen counter.

They were both eating a bowl of cereal and some toast. They had already showered; Sara's hair was almost dry.

"Yeah, one day, I may even beat you" the older girl laughed.

"Lo, I do not think so" the shorter girl laughed.

"I will beat you at something" Sara insisted.

"You are better than me at school, and in the traditions of your country."

The Israeli looked around the room. Everywhere she looked were baked goods, many in containers covered in jolly elves, and dancing snowmen. In the other room, they had put up, and decorated, a tall, green, pine tree. Presents had already been put under it.

"It's not like I know anything about Israeli culture" Sara reminded her. "Or the Jewish one."

"You did research Hanukkah" Ziva told her.

Sara shrugged.

"Maybe I can beat you at Rock, Paper, Scissors" she suggested.

"What?'

"Its a game, you chose either rock, paper, or scissors, and I chose one, who ever picks the better one wins. It's fun."

"Alright, I pick rock."

"That's not how it works, you don't tell me which you pick."

"Then how would we know who wins?"

"You use the hand symbols."

Sara proceeded to show Ziva the three hand symbols for the words.

"And at the count of three, you make the symbol. One... Two... Three."

Ziva kept her hand in a fist, a rock, while Sara flattened hers into a piece of paper.

"I win" Sara grinned.

"How, a piece of paper could not defeat a rock" Ziva questioned, thoroughly confused.

"It's because paper covers rock" Sara explained.

"Okay, I will go outside and get a rock, you go get a piece of paper. We will see which is better."

Sara looked at her friends, and started to laugh.

"Maybe I can't beat you outside of school" she consented.

"No, you cannot" Ziva agreed.

"Yalla, we need to go" Sara said, looking at the clock.

* * *

"Hey, Ziva" a thin boy with curly blond hair said as he sat next to the girl at the lunch table.

"Hello, Matt" Ziva replied, looking up from her sandwich.

"Hey, did either of you do the math homework?" a tall girl with light brown hair asked them as she walked up to them.

"No, sorry Susan" Matt told her.

Ziva sighed and pulled the paper out.

"Here" she said as she handed it to the girl.

"Thank you so much, Ziva" Susan grinned, copying the answers as fast as possible.

Ziva looked at Matt, and saw him looking at her paper.

"You can use it as well" she sighed.

"Thank you" he replied, copying them as well.

Ziva shook her head and returned to her lunch.

* * *

He watched the crowd of students rush past the school gates. None of them gave the beat up Honda a second glance. Few of them even gave it a first glance. That was perfectly fine with him. In fact, it was ideal. If he was going to complete this mission, he was going to have to be invisible.

A smile passed his lips when he spotted the target of his stake out.

The young girl was walking with the other one again. He guessed they had grown close over their time as room mates.

He was only supposed to get the younger one, but if the other went missing as well, who would notice? He had seen how the other students had out-casted her, and if it all worked out, it would look like they ran away. Perfect. As long as the others dealt with the father.

**On the short side, I know, but its more of a filler than anything, please review:)**


	10. But soon

**New chap, yeah! Sorry for the wait, I'm just so busy right now...**

It was dark in his office. The lights were off, and the blinds were closed. His glasses sat on the desk in front of him. His head rested in his hands.

Everything was fallen apart. His oldest daughter was halfway across the globe. His son was staying away for safety. His youngest daughter was getting suspicious. His wife's body had been found the previous week. The coroner had told them that she had been dead for over a month.

And they had no idea where the bastards who were doing this were. All he knew was what they wanted. They wanted him to suffer, and, although they would never know it, they were succeeding.

They had taken, tortured, and killed the woman he had loved. They had forced him to send his daughter into hiding for her own safety, a concept he would never use for himself. They had made him so paranoid that he would not let Tali leave the house without an Officer escort.

He dropped his hands, and looked around the dark room. Not for the first time, his eyes landed on the picture of his children. He needed them back.

Knocking interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter" he gruffly ordered.

The door opened, and a tall man stood in the door way.

"Yes?" he said, gesturing for the man to speak.

"We have located one of the enemy, sir" the man quickly told him.

"Where?" He sat up straighter in his chair. This was good.

"He is in interrogation."

"Good, tell them I will be right there."

"Yes, Sir."

The man turned and left instantly.

Eli grinned, this was very good.

* * *

"I do not know where they are" the young man groaned.

"I am not a person to lie to, kelev. We know you know, so tell us" Eli whispered in the prisoners ear.

The man looked around his prison, fear deep in his eyes. It was a dark room, dark and damp. There were no windows, no lights other than the single bulb that swung above his head.

"I do not know" the man insisted.

Eli simply straightened and turned to leave. As he left the room, he nodded to the guards.

The door was locked behind him. The man in the chair looked at the guards, who advanced on him.

* * *

"They have Raviv" a low voice told him through the secure line.

"Harah" he spat. "The boy will never hold up to them."

"What should we do?"

"I will deal with it. It is time to put the plan into action."

Without another word, he slammed the phone shut and threw the bottle in his hand. The glass hit the wall and shattered on impact.

It was time to act.

* * *

"Sir" the same man from before once again stood at his office door.

"Is he speaking?" Eli asked, hardly daring to hope. The man was either talking, or was dead.

"Yes."

Instantly, Eli was on his feet, walking towards the room the man was in.

The room smelt of copper and acid. In the thin light, he could just see the blood and vomit that covered the front of the man.

"Have we loosened your tongue enough?" he asked.

The man had enough dignity to glare at him, although Eli could still see the fear and pain in his eyes.

"They..." the man breathed. His voice was strained and broken. "Have gone to C...C...California."

Elis blood froze at his words. No, it was not possible. There was no way they could have found Ziva.

"They..." he succumbed to a coughing fit. Blood hit the floor at Elis feet, but the man barely noticed it. "They are watching your daughter."

The prisoner started to laugh. Deep laughs filled the air.

"Your daughter" he wheezed. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, and sprayed all over the men in front of him. "She will die soon."

He let out another giant coughing fit before stilling.

"Harah!" Eli exclaimed, throwing the chair at the wall.

He didn't hear the mans head hit the cement, or the wood splinter. He had other, more important stuff on his mind.

"I want to be in California, now" he told the man who had received him from his office.

"Yes, Sir" the man said before running off.

**I hope you like it, more should be up soon. Please review, they make me smile:)**


	11. Everything

**Short chap, hope you like it**

The leaves didn't even rustle as he moved over them. He slinked through the trees, making no noise, no evidence that he had ever been there. He ducked under a low hanging branch, and spotted what he was looking for.

It was dark, but the beam of light from his flashlight just caught the entrance to the cave. Grinning, he slid through the small hole.

* * *

Eli stared out of his window as the Mediterranean disappeared below the clouds, much like his daughter had half a year earlier. His back was perfectly straight, and his shoulders squared. His muscles were tight, as were his lips.

He wanted nothing more than for the damn plane to move faster.

He counted his breaths to get them under control. Getting mad at the pilot would not solve anything. He had to concentrate on getting his daughter back.

* * *

He rested his head against the cool wall of the cave. One of his hands was resting on the butt of his gun, the other on his knife. He had made sure he couldn't be seen from the entrance of the cave, in fact, unless a person knew exactly where he was, they would be unable to find him, but he had to be careful.

He was sure that Eli David was on his way at the very moment. There was no way that boy could have withstood the abuse of Mossad 'interrogation'. It had all come down to this.

Checking his watch one last time, he switched of the flashlight, and let himself fall into sleep.

* * *

Eli looked down into the cup of what American would call 'coffee'. The dark liquid memorized him for a few moments. He shook his head out of it, and threw the cup, drink and all, into the closest trash can.

He would get some sleep on the next plane. He was at a stop over in DC, and was pacing up and down the waiting area.

The officers with him tried to ignore his anxiety. They had never seen him like this before, and it worried them.

* * *

"Yalla, Sara" Ziva said, pulling her friend off the bed.

Sara sat up in a disgruntled lump.

"Really?" she objected.

Ziva shrugged. She was already ready and dressed.

"You should be used to waking up this early now" she pointed out

"Not when I was up past one, trying to finish a project" the older girl commented, letting out a yawn, and running her fingers through her hair.

"Just get ready" Ziva sighed, exasperated.

"Savlanout, let me wake up first."

Ziva turned away, muttering some Hebrew words Sara couldn't make out. She threw her pillow at the Israeli anyway.

Ziva turned to glare at her, only to get another pillow to the face. At that, the two girls burst out laughing.

"Yalla," Ziva said again, walking out the door.

"I'm hurrying" Sara muttered, pulling her clothes on.

They were out the door in the next ten minutes.

* * *

Slowly, he opened his eyes. With a flash of light from his flashlight, he checked his watch. Perfect timing, the girls should arrive within a few minutes.

Grinning, he stretched to loosen his muscles, and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Eli drove down the highway at a breakneck speed. He ignored every speed limit he came across. Fortunately, there were no cops around at that time of night. Not that it would have mattered. He would have let them follow him all the way to Tamales Bay if he had to. His mind was only on his daughter.

* * *

They ran the rout they always took. Away from the house, past the empty shops, through the woods once, down the sand, and up through the woods again. They slid into the cave and started their daily spar.

**Savlanout- patience**


	12. Fell Apart

**Yeah, update! it's been a while, I know, i know. I own neither show, now, read- please:) **

**oh, and all bold (outside of the ANs) is Hebrew. **

His grin grew as he heard the two girls enter the cave. They were laughing as they stripped out of their coats and started to spar. He watched them for a few minutes. Even in the darkness, it was easy to see which one was his target.

Little David moved with fluid motions even he did not have. Her stance was perfect and her strikes on target.

The other, however, was not as bad as he had thought she would be. He could almost see her think everything through, processing every move her opponent made. If she could just think a little faster on her feet, she could possibly turn out to be a formidable fighter.

But he was not there to recruit. He was on a mission.

Silently, he pulled his knife out of its sheath in his belt, and whipped it towards the Israeli girl.

She cried out in pain, but stayed on her feet. She gripped her shoulder, where the hilt of his knife protruded from her skin.

The American had jumped in surprise from her friends cry. Her face had paled, something he had not thought to be possible, and she was looking around the cave for him.

* * *

Ziva clenched her jaw against the pain. She could not let the pain cloud her judgment; someone was in the cave with them. She had to find that person.

Sara kept turning in circles, trying to find the assailant.

"Stop spinning," Ziva growled. The taller girl stopped instantly.

Her face was ashen, and her eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" Sara asked her.

"I will be fine," Ziva replied between her teeth.

"Not for long," a deep voice echoed through the cave.

Both girls spun in the direction of the voice. A tall man stood in the entrance of the cave. He had a sadistic smirk, and a gun aimed at them.

"Who are you?" Ziva asked him, letting her arm drop from her injured shoulder.

The man laughed.

"You are not the one asking questions here, Ziva David," he told her.

She glared at him.

"What do you want with us?" she continued, ignoring his comment.

He just smirked at her.

"**You are the one that wants to hurt my father**," she said in Hebrew.

"**You are smart, aren't you**?" he laughed, also using Hebrew

"**What do you want with my family**?" she demanded to know.

"**You would not understand**," he told her, before switching back to English. "Now, get on your knees."

The two girls glanced at each other. Ziva felt sorry for Sara, she should not have been involved, and the look of confusion on her face proved it.

"**Let my friend go, she is not a part of this**," she calmly said in Hebrew.

The man laughed again. She stared at him, pleading with her eyes.

"Look at this, the daughter of Eli David, almost begging, after only five minutes" he chuckled. "I am afraid I will have to decline your request."

"Ziva?" Sara whispered. Her eyes were wide, and she kept glancing at his gun.

"Do not worry," Ziva told her.

"I believe I told you to get on your knees," the man spoke up.

Keeping his gun trained on Ziva, he walked over to Sara, and forced her down. The girl managed to keep from crying out from the pain, but could not hide the fear on her face.

The man held her down with a hand on her shoulder, and glared at Ziva. Slowly, the younger girl kneeled.

"Good," he grinned.

* * *

Amanda padded down the hall. Something was wrong. She paused, and looked behind her. All of the doors were closed.

Eyebrows furrowed, she walked back to Sara and Ziva's room. They were usually up by this time, and had gone for their run. Their door was always open when one of them was not in there.

Slowly opening the door, she peeked inside. Both of the beds were empty, and their running shoes were gone. A faint breeze had filled the room, their window was open.

Shaking her head, she entered to room to close it. The breeze must have closed the door, and is was definitely chilling the room.

With that done, the feeling disappeared, and she continued her walk to the kitchen.

* * *

**Tamales Bay 5mi **

Eli Davids foot bared down even harder as they passed the sign. He was going almost 100 MPH, but was making every curve.

The officers in the backseat of the car were holding onto their seat, something they had never done before. They were used to going fast, but never that fast.

Within minutes, they entered the town, and he was forced to slow down. However, as the speed decreased, the sense of danger increased.

His officers almost wished he had kept the speed.

**Was it good? I hope so, I think it was longer, so, thats good. now, did you like it, please share:) **


	13. Around Us

**Hey, hey, hey, hey, look, look, look, look, I just updated! Isn't that great? How about you tell me, is it great? again, bold in the text is Hebrew.**

Eli looked up at the house before him. It was a typical American house. There were two floors, a paved driveway, and a green yard in the front.

He took in all of the details as he walked to the front door, and knocked on the wood.

A blond woman opened the door. Her grey eyes looked at them curiously.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"I am looking for Ziva David," he told her.

"She should be back soon, her and Sara went on a run about forty minutes ago" she replied.

Eli felt his heart skip a beat. If he was too late…

"Do you know where they run?" he asked.

"Down the beach and into the old woods."

* * *

Sara stared at the stone in front of her. She was trying as hard as she could to mask the pain and fear that was raging through her body, but after almost an hour of kneeling like this, it was very hard to mask anything.

Ziva and the man were talking quickly in Hebrew, much too quick for her to understand. The few words she could pick out, however, told her that this would not end well.

She turned to look at the other girl. Ziva's face was hard and emotionless. She suddenly turned to the American.

Her eyes were full of sorrow.

"I am sorry, Sara," she muttered.

"How is this your fault?" Sara replied.

The man laughed and both girls turned to face him.

"**She does not know the truth,**" he said in Hebrew.

"**No, she does not, and does not need to**" Ziva replied.

"**What truth?**" Sara spoke up.

The other turned to look at her. Confusion was evident on her face.

"The truth, about her family," the man leered.

"You said they died in a car crash," Sara said.

"**I cannot tell her**" Ziva growled.

"Oh, but you must, she deserves to know why she is about to die." As the man said this, he crouched next to Sara, running his gun down her cheek.

Sara's face blanched even more. She stared at Ziva, who was glaring at the man.

"Ziva?" she questioned, her voice hesitant.

"My family is still alive," the Israeli slowly started. "I was sent here to keep me safe from _him_."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked.

"My father is a director of Mossad, an intelligence agency in Israel. This man, and his organization want to hurt my father, so they decided to target his family."

"So..." Sara started.

"So, he did not do a good enough job," the man cut in. "And now, because of his mistakes, both his daughter, and her new friend are going to die."

He stood up, keeping the gun against Sara's temple.

* * *

Eli moved quickly through the undergrowth. As soon as the woman had told him where the girls run, he had headed that way.

His officers walked behind him. They all had their guns out, ready for any attack.

A whistle suddenly sounded in the air. He spun around to see one of the officers pointing his gun at a dip in the ground.

"**There is a cave**" the man whispered.

Eli nodded and crouched next to the hollow. There was indeed a cave, and he slipped inside.

He kept close to the wall, his gun held out in front of him. As he walked, he started to hear voices.

"_So..._" a small, female voice sounded out. He could detect the fear in the voice.

"_So, he did not do a good enough job, and now, because of his mistakes, both his daughter, and her new friend are going to die._" The deep voice held an Iraqi accent. The words cut through Eli like a knife; he had made many mistakes in trying to protect his family.

"_I wonder if I could make it through both of your head at this angle,_" the male continued.

"_Tisaref b' azazel, mamzer_" Ziva's voice rang out.

A thud came from further in the cave, accompanied by a cry of pain.

"_**If you are not careful, girl, your friend will not last long**_" the man hissed.

Eli turned one last corner, and a cavern opened up in front of him.

His daughter, kneeling in the center of the room, was the first thing he saw. She had a black eye, and one of her arms looked limp, but she was still managing to mask most of the pain.

Next to her a tall American was picking herself up from the ground. The girl looked worse off than Ziva. She had a cut on her temple, a bruise forming around it, and she was holding her arms around her stomach.

A man was standing over the American girl. His gun was against the bruise on her temple.

** So, how was it? please let me know. and a little hebrew lesson: _Tisaref b' azazel, mamzer-_ go to hell, bastard. Now, I've got to go watch the USA women beat Columbia:)**


	14. New Wounds

**Whoot, new chap! hope you like it:)**

"**Stop**" a low voice rang through the cave.

Sara lazily turned her eyes towards the exit. A man stood there. He had his gun aimed at the man behind her.

"Ah, Eli, how nice of you to join us," the first man said.

"I would appreciate if you let my daughter and her friend go," the new man said.

"Why would I want to do that?"

The new man, Eli, did not reply, but kept his gun trained on the man.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" the man asked.

Sara felt the world spin as he said it. If something was going to happen, she hoped it happened soon, or she wouldn't make it.

She felt him move behind her. The next second, he had a knife around her neck, but the gun was no longer pressed to her head. Good, the gun was making her head hurt.

She needed to focus. She knew that much. With all of her energy, she focused on the man in front of her, Eli.

He had thick brown hair and deep brown eyes. Just like… She closed her eyes as the world spun again. She reopened them when everything settled, and stared at the man again. He looked just like Ziva. Only… male and… older.

Maybe he was her father. If only Ziva wasn't an orphan…. Wait… Hadn't Ziva said she wasn't an orphan? Didn't she say her father was still alive?

Sara's head started to hurt even more as she forced it to work under the stress. If only she could focus; then her sentences would at least make some sense.

She suddenly realized that the two men were still talking. She had put so much energy into looking at Eli that she had stopped taking in their words.

"This is between you and me," Eli was saying when she tuned back in.

"And you forced me to drag your family into it," the other man laughed.

The movement caused his knife to slip slightly. She bit back a gasp as the blade slid into her skin. The next second, she almost thanked the man; the pain cleared her head.

* * *

Ziva's eyes grew wide as her father walked into the cave. He had come all the way across the globe… for her?

He kept his eyes on the man behind Sara. She knew he had to do this; if he was distracted for a second, the man would take his shot. But she still wished that he could risk a glance.

She wanted the comfort. She wanted to know that he was there for her. She was scared, more than she would admit, and wanted him to tell her it would all be alright.

She barely listened to them talk. Instead, she turned slightly to watch her friend.

Sara was in a bad state. Her head was lolling slightly, and her eyes were unfocused.

Suddenly, a knife was against Sara's neck. Ziva glanced towards the man, only to see his gun aimed at her.

She turned back towards her father. His face was steel. His eyes were hard. She had never seen him so angry.

* * *

Eli knew the American girl was watching him. He could feel her eyes on him. He knew when she almost passed out. He knew when the steel brought her back to reality.

Slowly, he pointed to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod. He then pointed to Ziva. She nodded again, causing the knife to bite her neck again.

He watched as she shifted her weight slightly.

He hopped she understood what he meant.

"You should have never messed with my family," he said in a low voice.

"Why is that?" the man laughed.

Without answering, Eli squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Ziva watched as her father fired the weapon in his head. She could not, however, watch the other man fall from its impact.

About a split second before he pulled the trigger, she was slammed to the ground.

More gun fire filled the air before she realized who was on her.

"Get off of me, Sara," she grunted.

Shock filled her when she didn't hear her own words. She lifted her hand to her ear; it felt fine. She sighed. It was from the guns, and the small space.

She turned her attention back to her friend.

Sara was limp.

"Sara?" she whispered. "Sara?"

She shook the girl slightly, but got no response. Dread filled her. If Sara was dead, it was her fault. She had not wanted this to happen.

She flipped the taller girl off of her, and felt liquid on her hands. She pulled her hands away from Sara, to find blood on them. She quickly pulled Sara's shirt up.

Her eyes grew wide. Blood was flowing out of bullet wound in her side.

**I know, a cliffie, sorry, but it just worked out that way**


	15. Filled Our Lives

**Oh my gosh, it cant be... it is a real, honest to a deity update! It is longer (yeah!) and stuff happens (yeah again!). Bold words in the text are said in Hebrew, so, use your imagination, and imagine it is Hebrew. Now, read!**

"Put pressure on the wound," a rough voice instructed her.

Without question, she did as ordered, and pulled her own shirt over her head. She pushed down on the bullet wound in her friend's side, as she fought to keep the tears from falling freely.

She turned her gaze away from the crimson soaked shirt to Sara's face. Her skin was paler than usual, almost as pale as the snow outside. Her dark hair and the bruises only sharpened the contrast.

"You will be alright, Sara" she whispered. "You will survive, and will get away from here just like you planned. You will go somewhere bigger, better. You just have to survive first."

She was suddenly pulled away by her friend. Without thinking, she fought against the arms that held her, and tried to return to her position next to the American.

"Calm, Ziva," a familiar voice said.

She turned to see her father holding her back.

"She will die," Ziva argued.

Eli raised an eyebrow and gestured back at Sara. Ziva turned around again, only to see a Mossad officer working on Sara's wound.

"She will only die if she is too weak to live," he told her.

He put her hands on her shoulders, and spun her around to face him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She looked up at him. His eyes were, for once, not hardened and cold. He was looking at her with concern.

"I am not sure, Abba," she replied.

"Will you be alright?" he continued.

"Yes, Abba."

He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair.

"Good."

"Am I coming home?" she hesitantly asked.

He looked down at her, and nodded.

"Yes, you will be coming home."

One of the officers yelled out to get Elis attention. The man walked over to him, and they had a hushed conversation.

Ziva did not even attempt to listen to what they were saying. Her attention had returned to Sara.

The officer had placed a rough bandage over the wound. It would work for a while, but they had to get to a hospital.

A hand was placed on Ziva's shoulder. She turned to her head to see her father standing behind her.

"We are going to the hospital. They will save her," he told her.

* * *

Ziva did not remember much of their trip to the hospital. It had all blurred together, and, before she knew it, she was waking in a hospital bed of her own.

She slowly opened her eyes, to find the room dark and empty.

She used the quiet to sort out her thoughts. Her and Sara had gone on their morning run, and had had started their spar uninterrupted. She could remember a flash of pain in her arm, and the feeling of terror that followed.

However, the details started to disappear. She could vaguely recall a man. He was… holding them hostage. And someone - _her father -_ had saved them.

But, Sara. Her heart started to race, and her breathing grew irregular and wild. All of that blood. There had been so much blood. And all of it had been Saras.

The image of her own hands putting pressure on a bullet wound flashed before her eyes. It was quickly followed by an image of the Americans pale face.

She was so preoccupied by her thoughts, that she did not hear the machines going off around her. What brought her back to the present was the door slamming open.

"**Where is Sara?**" she demanded, not realizing that she had spoken in Hebrew. "**Where is Sara?**" she repeated when none of the doctors answered her.

Panic had engulfed her. She knew what they were not telling her. Sara had not survived. They had failed to save her.

"**Get away from me**" she screamed, and tried to get away from the people.

Before she could do anything, however, she slipped back into the darkness.

* * *

The next time Ziva woke, there were people in her room.

"Abba," she whispered. Her throat protested the noise.

Someone held a cup of water to her mouth, and she sipped it.

"**I am here, Zivala**," he replied.

She felt him take her hand, and a small sense of comfort grew inside of her. She turned her head slightly, so she could see him.

"**Where is Sara?**" she asked.

"**She is in her own room,**" he told her.

"**She is alive?**"

"**Yes, she is strong, and survived.**"

"**Good.**"

Ziva looked around the rest of the room.

"Ari," she smiled.

"Shalom, Ziva," her brother replied.

He was sitting by her bed, across from their father. He moved slightly to brush some of her hair away from her face.

"**Are Ima and Tali still in Israel?**" she questioned.

She noticed the drop in both Ari and Eli's faces.

"**Tali is at home,**" Eli told her.

"**Where is Ima?**" she persisted.

"Ziva," he sighed.

Dread washed over her. It could not be true. It simply could not be true.

She closed her eyes, and tears slid down her face.

"**How?**" she whispered.

"**Not now, Ziva,**" Eli told her.

"**Yes now, how did she die?**" she argued, her voice still low.

Eli sighed.

"**I would rather wait until you have healed.**"

"**I need to know, Abba.**"

She opened her eyes to look at him. His face softened slightly.

"**They captured her,**" he softly told her. "**We found her body a few months after she vanished.**"

Ziva's face blanked. They had taken her mother. They had tortured and killed her mother. The same man who had held her and Sara captive. The same man who had shot Sara. He was responsible for the death of her mother.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. All three of them were lost in their thoughts.

"**I want to go see Sara,**" Ziva suddenly said.

Both males' eyes snapped towards her.

"**You are not well enough to see anyone,**" Ari told her.

"**I do not care,**" she growled.

"**I will see what I can do,**" Eli told her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ari's head snap up to their father.

"**But, you must get some more sleep first,**" he added.

Ziva did not say anything. She just closed her eyes, and instantly fell back to sleep.

* * *

Ziva sat down in the seat next to Sara's bed. There were even more machines an tubing in Sara's room than in her own.

If it was even possible, Sara looked even paler than she had in the cave. Her bruises were more pronounced, and her hair was limp.

Slowly, Ziva reached up, and took Sara's hand in her own.

"Why did you do it?" she whispered in English. "You should not have gotten shot."

She fell silent for a second. She did not know if her friend could hear her, but something was telling her to continue talking.

"You need to wake up. I am going home soon, but I will not go home until you wake up. So, you need to wake up right now."

She sighed, and pushed some of her hair back.

"My family is here. Well, my father and brother are here. My sister is still in Israel, and my mother is…" she stopped abruptly. She could not talk about her mother.

"When you wake up, I will introduce you to Ari. He is my brother. He is a bit older than me, but we are close. He is in school to become a doctor. I wish I could introduce you to Tali. She is so happy, all of the time. Like that girl who lives across the street, what did you call her? Bouncy? Bubbly? I know it is something like that"

She continued her monologue until her father came in to take her back to her own room.

* * *

It was dark, all around her. At one point in her life, she was afraid of the dark.

Bad things happened in the dark. Bad things lived in the dark. The dark was bad.

As she grew up, however, she came to relish the dark. It was peaceful. It was calming. It was nice.

She let the dark embrace her. She let the dark heal her.

Her life had not been easy, and her mind needed time to catch up with itself.

She did not know how long she rested in the dark. She was there for however long it took.

Suddenly, brightness vanished the dark.

Right ahead of her, an image appeared like a movie theatre.

She was watching her mother stab her father... Her mother spun in her direction... Her mother turned into the kids at school… The kids at school were laughing and pointing… The kids turned into a strange man… The man was pointing a gun at her…

Pain. All she felt was pain. It filled her entire being, and tore at every fiber. It had no beginning, and had no end. It did not start at any specific point, and did not leave any part untouched.

It was all she knew. It was all that mattered in the world. It drove everything else to the sidelines.

She started to move to try and throw the pain off. She kicked her legs, and tried to twist her torso. Moving, however, only seemed to worsen the pain. She tried to stop, but had lost control of her body.

"**Calm, Sara**" a voice broke through the pain.

She latched onto the voice, and let it pull her.

"**You need to calm down.**"

The pain melted away from her body, and she returned to the darkness.

* * *

Ziva calmed down as Sara settled back in her bed. She had been dozing off in the chair when Sara had suddenly started to freak out.

She had grabbed her friend's hand, and told her to calm down. She was not sure if it was what had calmed her down, but Sara had stopped thrashing on the bed.

She sat back in the chair, and stared at the wall.

Sara had been out for three days, and Ziva had been sitting by her side for the past two, since she had been released.

Occasionally, Sara seemed to be having a panic attack in her sleep. The first time it happened, the doctors had freaked out when she seemed resistant to the sedative. They soon realized, however, that Ziva could calm her down rather quickly.

Amanda had come in once a day. She checked on Sara's condition, and stayed for a little while before leaving.

She had not been told what had happened. As far as the woman knew, part of the cave they sparred in had fallen. She had wanted Ziva to return to the house every night, but the Israeli had convinced her otherwise.

Neither of the other girls in the house had bothered to stop by. Ziva was perfectly alright with this. She knew that Sara would not want them to come.

* * *

Slowly, the darkness started to lift. She barely noticed it at first, but when a shadow passed through the dark, she realized that the dark had become a dark grey.

It continued to brighten, until light filled her eyes.

It took a few seconds for her to realize that she had opened her eyes. The second she came to that conclusion, she snapped her eyes shut.

After the long period of darkness, the harsh, fluorescent light hurt.

"Light," she groaned.

She heard the sound of a chair moving quickly, and shoes hitting the floor.

"Sara," a voice said.

"Turn the lights out," she repeated.

A few seconds later, the light disappeared, and the darkness reclaimed the room.

Slowly, she started to open her eyes.

When she managed to succeed, she realized that she was in a hospital room, and that Ziva was sitting next to her.

"What happened?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse, and speaking hurt.

"I will tell you later," Ziva told her as she got some water for Sara.

"Why do I hurt so much?"

"That is what happens when you get shot."

Sara choked on the water she was drinking.

"Shot?" she breathed.

"Yes, and I must thank you, otherwise, I would have been shot instead, and it would have killed me instantly."

**So, what do you think? Seriously, how is it? Review and let me know. This part of the story is coming to an end. Sad? Yes, I know, but I plan on writing a sequel, but am not sure exactly what it will be about. I will ask you in a later chap, once the issue comes up in the story;)**


	16. Changes

**So, I looked, and I haven't updated this since September. I know, it's been a long time, I'm sorry. I haven't watched either show in months. CSI because I just don't watch it anymore, NCIS because I don't have a TV in my dorm room. Anyway, it's moving forward a lot in this chap, and I hope you enjoy it. I own neither show. Read-**

"You're leaving," Sara said.

"Yes," Ziva replied.

They didn't say anything for a few moments. Sara picked at the IV in her wrist a bit, and Ziva stared at her own hands.

"When do you leave?" Sara asked.

"In two days, now that you're awake."

"So soon?"

"My father wants to return to Israel. He does not want to leave my sister for too long."

"But he will send you out here on your own?"

"He has his reasons for these things. I do not try to understand them."

"He's an important man, in Israel, isn't he?"

"He is a very important man."

They fell into silence again.

"Are you angry at me? For not telling you the truth," Ziva suddenly questioned. Sara glanced down at her sheet before answering.

"A little, but I know why you had to," she slowly replied.

"It did not even work as is should have," Ziva growled. "If it had, you would not have gotten hurt."

Sara nodded slightly, and silence took them again. After a few moments, Sara grabbed Ziva's hand.

"I'm gunna miss you," Sara quietly said.

"I am going to miss you too," Ziva replied.

* * *

"**Is everything packed?**" Ari asked in Hebrew as he walked into Ziva and Sara's room.

Ziva glanced around the room. It looked odd, with her stuff gone. She figured that Sara would soon get used to it again.

"**Yes,**" she said, picking her bag up.

"**Okay, let us go.**"

She nodded and followed him out of the room and the house.

"**You are going to miss her,**" he stated after starting the car.

"**I am**," she confirmed.

"**You will get used to leaving friends soon.**"

"**That is not helpful.**"

"**I know, but it is the truth. You will eventually learn to not make friends with every person you meet.**"

"**That sounds lonely.**"

"**It can be, but you have to learn to live with it.**"

She sighed, and turned to look out the window. He glanced at her a few times.

"**There is something else bothering you,**" he finally said.

"**I am the only friend she has,**" she explained. "**Nobody here even likes her.**"

"**I am sure she will survive,**" he shrugged.

"**I know she will, and I know she plans on leaving after she leaves school, but still,**" she trailed off.

Ari just nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her suddenly sitting up straighter. He glanced away from the road, to see an odd look on her face.

"**You are thinking of something,**" he said.

"**Yes, I need to talk to father as soon as we get back to the hotel.**"

"**Okay.**"

* * *

Once they made it to the hotel, she raced to their room, and burst inside.

"**Slow down, Ziva,**_" _her father laughed.

"**I need to talk to you about Sara, Abba,**_" _she explained.

"**What about her?**_" _he asked her.

"**What if she comes to Israel with us?**_" _she asked.

He managed to hide to confusion on his face, and gave her an inquisitive look instead.

"**Why would she come to Israel with us?**_" _

"**You can adopt her; you can train her as you trained Ari and me. She can fight, I have been teaching her, and she knows basic Hebrew**_."_

"**I will think about it, but it might extend my stay slightly."**

"**Your stay?**_"_

"**You are Ari will go home tonight as planned, I will think it through**_."_

Ziva grinned. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. She hugged him tight.

"**Thank you, Abba,**_" _she said.

He returned her hug, and sent her and Ari to the hospital.

Once they were gone, he began to pace slightly. His daughters request kept circling his head.

He could see how take the American could benefit him, but he could see how it could hurt him.

If he took her, she could become an asset to Mossad. As an American, she would not be able to serve in the Defense Force. He could use that time to train her, and she could join Mossad with Ziva after Ziva finished her required service. At that point, she would have been a resident long enough to apply for citizenship.

However, he would have to pay for her schooling, and other necessities. He would have to manage another child in the house with no mother. He would also have to go through all of the paper work to gain custody of the girl.

If it worked, she would be perfect for undercover work in Europe and America, but if it didn't it would be a lot of work for nothing.

He sat on his bed, and decided he would visit the girl the next day, after Ziva and Ari had left.

* * *

"Sara, this is Ari, my brother," Ziva said after greeting the girl.

Ari gave the girl one of his smiles, and she grinned.

"Shalom, Sara," he said, shaking her hand.

"Shalom, Ari," she replied.

"I apologize for not coming to meet you sooner, but I had some stuff I had to take care of," he told her.

"It's no problem. I mean, you're leaving tonight anyway," she shrugged.

"We are," Ziva said, her voice darkening slightly. She did not want to tell Sara about her conversation with her father yet, in case he decided against it. She did not want to get her hopes up. "I came to say good-bye, and Ari offered to drive me."

"Well, thank you, Ari."

"It was not a problem."

Ziva rolled her eyes at her brother. She pulled Sara into a hug, and they held each other tightly.

"I will miss you," the Israeli breathed.

"Me too," Sara replied.

"We have to go now, Ziva. We cannot miss our flight," Ari spoke up.

"He is right," Ziva sighed. "Never forget me?"

"Never."

* * *

Ziva watched the land fall away below her, much like she had so many months ago.

Ari put his hand on hers, and she looked at him.

"Everything will be alright," he told her. "He will be home in a few days, and if he decides to, he will bring her."

She nodded, and leaned her chair back so she would be able to sleep.

"I will wake you up when we are almost there."

"Thank you."

* * *

Eli stood in the doorway for a second. The girl inside was reading a book, but looked up after a few seconds.

"Mr. David," she said, and he walked into the room. "I thought you left yesterday."

"Ari and Ziva did," he replied. "I have some business I need to attend to first."

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Why else would you be here?"

Eli nodded. She was sharp, he would give her that.

"I have something to ask you."

Sara nodded slightly, letting him know to continue.

"I have considered the possibility of bringing you to Israel, as an addition to our family."

Her eyes grew wide.

"You would… you would do that?" she slowly questioned.

"Ziva suggested it, and I want to know what you think of it."

"I would love it. Anything to get away from here. And the chance to stay with Ziva," she sputtered.

"It would completely turn your life upside down. Ziva mentioned that you plan on going to college next year, it might complicate your plans slightly."

"I understand that. I don't think I can stand it here much longer."

"I will come back later to let you know what is going to happen."

"Okay," she nodded.

* * *

"Do you think that's the one?" Tali asked when she saw another plane landing.

"I don't know," Ziva replied.

Tali sighed, and stared at the plane. Ziva smirked. She felt just as excited as Tali was acting. At the same time, however, she dreaded it. What if her father hadn't brought Sara?

The plane landed, and the first few passengers disembarked.

"It's the plane!" Tali exclaimed, and started to run towards it.

**Small cliff hanger (and an actual one, I hate when people say they have a cliff hanger, when it's just a typical chapter ending). Now, do you think Sara should go to Israel or not? Either way there will be more to the story. It won't just end here if Sara stays in Cali. Let me know your ideas.**


End file.
